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Did you know that CINEMA has been reviewing films since July 14, 2000? Yes, we're turning 15 this July, and since we started we have published over 2,000 reviews, averaging 3 per week. For reviews from 2000-2007, you may visit the CINEMA library. Call for appointment: 664-5886

What's CBCP's CINEMA?

'CINEMA' is an acronym for 'Catholic INitiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation', the film rating and classification board of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Episcopal Commission on Social Communication and Mass Media.

CINEMA's Vision

A film-literate citizenry which, with the guidance of CINEMA, promotes Christian and Filipino values and traditions conveyed through the moving image.

The people behind CINEMA

Responding to requests, we are delighted to to introduce our team of reviewers, assessors and benefactors, all serving out of sheer love for CINEMA's mission.

Meldy

Ms. Imelda Benitez – A lay partner in the media and youth apostolate of the Church with international award winning video documentary script, a radio anchor, and media education trainor/facilitator, and active in social media. A development professional who has longtime works with NGOs, government and foreign donors.

Sr. Consolata

Sr. Ma. Consolata Manding, FSP – A religious nun and a Professor in Media Literacy Education, Sr. Consolata is a Founding Board Member of CINEMA, and one of the pillars of the local Pauline Sisters’ media education program. She gives talks on various media-related topics, such as the role of media in inter-religious dialogue and peace-building, and is actively involved in CINEMA-sponsored seminar-workshops for aspiring reviewers.

Teresa

Ms. Teresa Reyes Tunay, OCDS – a multi-awarded journalist seasoned in mainstream media. As Founding Board Member of CINEMA, she has served as juror at international film festivals in Europe, Asia and Africa since 2004. As independent media consultant she writes a gospel reflection column in the ‘Philippine Daily Inquirer’ and an opinion column in ‘The CBCP Monitor’, and gives talks on prayer life.

CINEMA's nurturers

Believing in CINEMA and the volunteers behind it are the principal nurturers who have generously shared their time, energy, and resources so that CINEMA may continue serving the Church.

Fr. Mario

Fr. Mario Sobrejuanite, SSP – the consummate patron and moderator who as Founding Board Member of CINEMA has been with us from the beginning, and has continued to encourage and support CINEMA—in more ways than one—especially during difficult times. Gracious and down-to-earth, Fr. Mario is a well sought-after speaker both in the Philippines and abroad.

CINEMA's Mission

"Conscious of the power of film in the transformation of society, we, the members and officers of CINEMA, commit ourselves to review, classify, and rate films in order to guide the viewing public in the critical choice and patronage of films."

CINEMA's Strength

A body of dedicated film-literate volunteers who conduct weekly reviews and rating of films on the basis of their technical and aesthetic and moral content. Our team of regular reviewers and assessors includes Sr. Rose Agtarap FSP, Imelda Benitez, Josephine Mabanta Fenomeno, Sr. Consolata Manding FSP, Rizalino Pinlac, Evelyn Tirol and Teresa R. Tunay. (Please scroll down for more information about them).

Sr. Rose

Sr. Rose Agtarap, FSP--A communicator at heart and by profession, Sr. Rose is back from almost a decade of communication work in Rome and London. She writes and speaks, mostly on media and evangelization.

Pie

Ms. Pie Mabanta Fenomeno – Creative Director and Scriptwriter for Family Rosary Crusade’s television programs. She is also Head of the Electronic Media Department of the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA), a non-stock, non-profit development communications company producing media materials to address socio-political issues of the country through Gospel and universal values.

Rizal

Mr. Rizalino Pinlac, Jr. – as a professor in communications and humanities at San Juan de Letran College, Intramuros, Manila, he has had a rich experience mentoring young people in the areas of Film and Television Production as well as Investigative Reporting.

Evelyn

Ms. Evelyn Tirol – is backed by an experience of 41 years as a professor in English and Language at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas. Her thesis on writing was made into a textbook by the said university; she has also co-authored a book on writing and written a biography of Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes, DD, the first Filipino archbishop of Manila.

Dra. Zeny

Dr. Zenaida Rotea, MD – dedicated, hard-working and committed supporter of CINEMA since its inception in 2000 when she was serving as Executive Secretary of the CBCP Office on Women. Her untiring support of CINEMA which has continued beyond her recent retirement reflects her faith in the relevance of CINEMA’s mission and her devotion to Mother Church. In January 2013, Zeny received through the CBCP the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, a papal award bestowed upon individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the Church and to the Pope.

Bishop Mylo

The amiable Bishop Mylo Vergara, Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Communications. with Fr. Mario, Teresa and Sr. Consolata, at the ECSC organizational meeting held on February 14, 2014.

How 'CINEMA' came to be

CINEMA (Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation)of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,Episcopal Commission on Social Communication and Mass Media (ECSCMM)

No less than Blessed John Paul II took cognizance of the overwhelming power of media, especially film, over the lives of people.During his historic visit to Manila in the 80’s, he said, “The image you film, the sounds you record, the programs you broadcast, cross every barrier of Time and Space… What people see and hear in your transmissions and commentaries heavily influence the way they think and act.”Indeed, just as exploitative profit oriented groups can use film to cater to the moviegoers’ baser instincts, without considering their moral well-being, so can more concerned entities like Church based organizations employ the same to enlighten viewers through an intelligent assessment of film based on gospel values.

For this purpose, the Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation (CINEMA) was created as a special advocacy project of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Office on Women.Launched on July 14, 2000 as the CBCP Office on Women’s unique contribution to the Jubilee Year celebration, CINEMA is the movie classification and ratings board of the CBCP—the Church’s pro-active response to the proliferation of pornography, violence and other morally offensive issues in media, especially film, which then exploited women.Through CINEMA’s efforts which caught the attention and gained the cooperation and support of mainstream media and the government’s Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), the pornographic movies exploiting and victimizing women gradually faded away from the scene.

From being an advocacy project tasked to uphold the dignity of women in the film medium, CINEMA has grown to become a major player in the Church’s efforts at evangelization through media, so that now it assumes a greater role in the mission of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media (ECSCMM), particularly in leading to the New Evangelization.

How 'CINEMA' does its work

Not a censorship body, it aims to bring about a film literate citizenry who can judge for themselves which movies promote Christian values, the true, the good, the beautiful.CINEMA reviews, classifies, and rates films to foster a discerning appreciation of film and to guide the viewing public in the critical choice and patronage of films.

The review for publication is written in English for foreign films and Pilipino for local productions.Before writing the review, the reviewer will have seen the film, analyzed and discussed it with assessors and other reviewers using the accomplished assessment forms, may have downloaded information from the internet, seen the ads, press releases, movie commentaries and theater posters. The review consists of the following:

The credits: the same data as found in the accomplished assessment forms.

The ratings: These give an assessment of the technical excellence and moral content of the film.Films are given scores, “1” being the lowest and “5” the highest.Aside from being graded, films are also rated for their audience-appropriateness.

The review article: This has usually three paragraphs:

Paragraph A: The SynopsisParagraph B: Technical and Artistic MeritsParagraph C: The moral or value aspects projected by the movie.

Paragraph A: The synopsis, whether in English or Pilipino, is written in the present tense.The synopsis contains the introduction of the movie story, the names of the important characters (with the corresponding actors/ actresses names in the parenthesis) and the main events leading to the point of interest or crisis.So as not to spoil the interest of the moviegoer, the ending is usually not given although leading questions may be asked.

Paragraph B: This presents the technical and artistic merits noted by the writer, using the data on the assessment forms and other possible source of information.

Paragraph C: This calls attention to the way life or the human condition is presented in the film.Is it a truthful presentation or is it falsified or distorted?It notes the ethical and moral values (may be universal/ human cultural/ Filipino) projected.How does the film project good and evil, right and wrong?What can be learned from the film in the light of the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church?What should we watch out for, to be accepted or rejected?This paragraph helps the viewers appreciate the value of a good film.

The whole review has about 30-35 lines: Paragraph A and B about 8-12 lines each and Paragraph C about 15-18 lines.

How 'CINEMA' has survived challenges

Besides a corps of volunteer reviewers—lay people with training in film review and classification and media—CINEMA has an Executive Board.It is the first organization of its kind in the Philippines; only CINEMA consider in its reviews the moral implications in a film, aside from other considerations.

Every week CINEMA publishes the classifications, ratings and reviews of at least 3 movies currently shown in Metro Manila.Its reviews have been quoted, reprinted, and commented on in the country’s mainstream media.From its inception in 2000 to 2007, it distributed 1035 hard copies weekly, (excluding fax messages and emails of these releases) to the media, schools, religious institutions, Metro Manila parishes, all bishops and their dioceses throughout the country, non-government organizations, lay leaders in the local churches and government offices.The Philippine government’s Movie and Television Ratings and Classification Board (MTRCB) requests for its weekly copy.CINEMA also maintained a website until 2007.However, due to financial constraints, CINEMA had to drop the website and cease its printed publications in 2008; to continue its work independent of economic difficulties, it has gone on line.Reviews of 2008 to the present may be viewed on www.cbcpcinema.blogspot.com.CINEMA pages are the most visited in the website of the CBCP, registering about 1,800 hits daily.These data are a genuine indication of the movie audience’s great interest in the moral implications found in film as interpreted and evaluated according to Christian and gospel values by CINEMA.(TRT/March 9, 2013)

CINEMA's Logo

The CINEMA logo incorporates crisscrossed film strips, an open eye, and the CBCP Office on Women logo. The film strip represents the specific medium on which CINEMA centers its apostolate—thus, its central location in the logo. Film strips are crisscrossed to symbolize the first letter “X” (chi of the Greek word for “Christ”, reminiscent also of the cross. The film strips indicate that film must be appreciated in the light of the Cross, the instrument of enlightenment. The open eye underscores the link between the eye of the camera and the human eye, emphasizing a soulful appreciation of film as an art. Its prominent position in the logo indicates the importance of vigilance—keeping our eyes open—in our choice and patronage of cinema for it to uplift and enrich its viewers. The Office on Women logo, located in the lower left corner, is a stylized rendition of a mother and a child, Mary and the Baby Jesus, representing the values upon which CINEMA is founded. Altogether, the elements in the CINEMA logo are a visual embodiment of the organization’s name, the acronym CINEMA: Catholic INitiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation, an eloquent statement of the purpose of this Church- inspired body.

Blessed John Paul II says:

“The image you film, the sounds you record, the programs you broadcast, cross every barrier of time and space… What people see and hear in your transmission and commentaries heavily influence the way they think and act!”

What our Bishops say:

‘We urge professional communicators (tabloid publishers, internet servers, artists, producers, movie and TV distributors, those in advertising business) to form associations which will formulate and live up to ethical codes for the betterment of our people. Clearer guidelines on ratings of the movie films should be formulated and implemented.’--Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), , 12 July, 1999